Salary questions for AL nurses

U.S.A. Alabama

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For all AL nurses, how much do you make? Could you live and buy a house with your salary alone without assistant from your spouses? I'm planing to move there but at the same time after I become a nurse, my husband will be going back to school full time, and I'm going to be a solely source of income. Any helps greatly appreciated ;)

Specializes in CCU/CVICU, Hemodialysis, ER, PALS Inst..

Atl John--I'm surprised that EAMC is only 18/hr. I would've thought they would have been higher. I'm down in Columbus, GA but worked in Alabama up until 5 years ago and made more than that in a small town ER. I am just pretty surprised that EAMC is so low. YIKES!

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HealingtouchRN Thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing out the wonderful things about AL. I have lived here for many years but have never been too fond of AL. Your appraisal gave me a new revelation of the great things about this area. You might ask "If you don't like it why haven't you left?" I had elderly parents and I am the only child that lives near them. I have had to stay near to make sure they were ok. I am not originally from AL. My least favorite parts remain (the bugs and the heat). My favorite parts are the food and the warmth of strangers.

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Specializes in Pulmonology/Critical Care, Internal Med.

EAMC is abysmally low. They have profit sharing, but that scares me especially after I had a nurse tell me not to use gloves when giving a shot because that costs money and they are profit sharing. She was entirely serious. EAMC has such a grip on the local area its unbelievable. There is no local competition for them so why should they pay any higher. They just don't get it, I guess they think because others have accepted such low wages that everyone else will as well. I'm one of the few in the school who when we have someone come and talk to us about jobs I will confront the recruiter on low salary. Its crazy, we are all or will be soon licensed professionals with an increadible responsibility for our patients yet we are not being compensated adequately for it. Its very sad. I love living in the south, AL is great, Huntsville is where my family was stationed been down here for 12 years now, and can't imagine leaving the south, but there is a point at which when your not being paid what your worth that you have to go somewhere where you are. I think some of the hospitals are starting to get a clue, as I know St. Vincents raised their base pay rates just very recently and they are pretty good at giving raises from what I understand. My friend from school just got a raise after finishing up his orientation to the OR. So that is at least a little bit of good news. Its actuallly gotten so bad at EAMC they have started to have to have some Travelers but don't askt hem that they will deny deny deny. I know of four who are travelers working at EAMC right now. . Its just amazing the lengths they will go....corporate greed, this is why I escaped the business world and went into Nursing to get away from it.

But to the poster moving here from out of State. I actually moved to AL from Alaska after living up there for 7 years. It was a culture shock, your not going to be able to understand anyone for 6 months but it really is a great place to live and the people are usually very friendly, there are tons of things to do here, and ATL is very close to most of Alabama. I think you'll enjoy it her very much. You could always do in town traveling.

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Specializes in ER (INDIA) & MED (US).

where r u working.in az it starts more than $22/hr on days.

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Specializes in Hospice, Med Surg, Long Term.

magma1857,

I don't know of anywhere in AZ that starts new RN's out that low. I think the average in AZ starting wage is around 26.00 per hour, unless you wanna work in Dialysis for Fresenius, and they will pay as little as you let them get away with. So, I don't recommend working for them. The hours are frequently 14 hour days, and the money sucks. I only worked for them a few months.

a21chdchic in AZ

p.s. I'm currently in Yuma, and the pay here is better than alot of places in Phoenix.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Atl John...I will just say from being a nurse in Alabama for over 10 years, I would go ahead and pack my bags if you are not planning on staying in AL for less than $26/hr for a new grad!:lol2: I don't know of any hospital that will pay a NEW grad that kind of money. Yes, nursing is a big responsibility. I know it is "sticker shock" to new grads for what starting pay is. I have recently completed my MSN and passed boards for CRNP. I will tell you the starting pay for a CRNP in AL is not much higher than what you are expecting to make! I hope you will find what you are looking for, but as someone else said it's not all about the money.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.
EAMC is abysmally low. They have profit sharing, but that scares me especially after I had a nurse tell me not to use gloves when giving a shot because that costs money and they are profit sharing. She was entirely serious. EAMC has such a grip on the local area its unbelievable. There is no local competition for them so why should they pay any higher. They just don't get it, I guess they think because others have accepted such low wages that everyone else will as well. I'm one of the few in the school who when we have someone come and talk to us about jobs I will confront the recruiter on low salary. Its crazy, we are all or will be soon licensed professionals with an increadible responsibility for our patients yet we are not being compensated adequately for it. Its very sad. I love living in the south, AL is great, Huntsville is where my family was stationed been down here for 12 years now, and can't imagine leaving the south, but there is a point at which when your not being paid what your worth that you have to go somewhere where you are. I think some of the hospitals are starting to get a clue, as I know St. Vincents raised their base pay rates just very recently and they are pretty good at giving raises from what I understand. My friend from school just got a raise after finishing up his orientation to the OR. So that is at least a little bit of good news. Its actuallly gotten so bad at EAMC they have started to have to have some Travelers but don't askt hem that they will deny deny deny. I know of four who are travelers working at EAMC right now. . Its just amazing the lengths they will go....corporate greed, this is why I escaped the business world and went into Nursing to get away from it.

But to the poster moving here from out of State. I actually moved to AL from Alaska after living up there for 7 years. It was a culture shock, your not going to be able to understand anyone for 6 months but it really is a great place to live and the people are usually very friendly, there are tons of things to do here, and ATL is very close to most of Alabama. I think you'll enjoy it her very much. You could always do in town traveling.

Hello from an EAMC ICU nurse. You are right about the low salaries but believe it or not we are not the worst. Hard to believe but I was on another thread where someone was talking about only making $4 more than a new grad and not having the shift diffs we have. I've been here w/o interruption for 13 yr and am making about $6 more than a new grad. They just gave us a half way decent raise but after over 4 years of screaming about how far behind we've fallen it is really barely enough and way too late. But most of the RNs are here for reasons other than pay - I'm married to the area (plan to go to CRNA school and come back to the area). others are here while spouses are in school or until they have enough experience to go traveling. It is always amazing to me that no matter what mgmt throws at us, this is one of the best goup of nurses to work with. I may not like all of mgmt's decisions but I really like working here. WAR EAGLE!!!:wink2:

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.
Atl John--I'm surprised that EAMC is only 18/hr. I would've thought they would have been higher. I'm down in Columbus, GA but worked in Alabama up until 5 years ago and made more than that in a small town ER. I am just pretty surprised that EAMC is so low. YIKES!

So are the nurses that work here!!!!:barf01:

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Specializes in Pulmonology/Critical Care, Internal Med.

The starting pay at Jacksons Hospital (montgomery) is 18.50, found that out on Thursday for the poster who asked.

Hey Fronky bean !!!! WAR D^MN EAGLE.....!!!! Its nice to see some Auburn Folks here. :) I've done quite a few of my clinicals there at EAMC. I guess my views are jaded. Not only was I shocked at the rates they pay new grads, granted I know we don't know anything, but we still have a license. There has been quite a bit of discussion within my group of fellow accelerated students about pay rates. We usually are just aghast at what is actually being paid now a days. While there are always more reasons for staying put, I am a firm believer in being paid for services rendered. If you just happen to love your job as well thats an added bonus. Nursing seems to have been a profession that has always required much sacrifice of its members with little renumeration in return. This fact was very much "thrown" into the light for me on Thursday while doing an ER clinical.

In the ER there was a patient who had an abscess, and we were talking about his job and about nursing and what it is that nurses ACTUALLLY do vs the perception of just giving shots and taking doctor orders. We got on the subject of pay, he believed that we were making a killing as nurses in pay. When I told him what I would be making as a new grad there (18.50) at Jackson Hospital, he started to laugh. I asked him why are you laughing he said, I make 32 an hour and I drive a forklift. You have GOT to be kidding. This guy drives a freakin FORK LIFT and he makes double a new grad. It is for reasons like this that I will move from AL, and its sad because I really like AL.

Now the next thing there is no way that hospitals can't afford to pay nurses much better than they do. Yeah sure doctors are the "money makers" as they can do the surgeries and admit to the hospital, etc. HOWEVER........without the nurses you have no hospital whos going to see to the patients after the doctors seen them for their 2min consult. I'm really amazed that nurses have become so content with low pay and long hours, etc. Especially here in the south.

You would not let the doctor rest if you thought something was not right with your patient, you woudlnt' allow it and would do anything and everything to make sure your patient got that best care. Why is it that you don't see to it that your taken as well care of, do you honestly think that your job is only worth that 18.50 or 25 an hour after doing it for 10 years. I would certainly hope not. You'd be better off driving a forklift. This is probably off topic (hope not) so just incase I'll leave you with this though.

How can you possibly advocate whats best for your patient if you can't even advocate whats best for yourself? :nono:

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.

I hear you loud and clear! I don't know what it will take before nurses get the pay and respect they're due but I'm not waiting around to find out - I'm CRNA bound (Lord willing and the Creek don't rise! :wink2:) We actually had an employee c/o the fact that her boyfriend made more at Wal-Mart distribution center w/ a high school diploma than she did here w/ a BSN and was told by a VP that she needed to go work at Wal-Mart! VP came and apologized later but it shows how they feel about us doesn't it. It was also said by a different VP many years ago that nurses were blue collar workers getting whit collar wages - are you kidding!? We dont' even get blue collar wages!:angryfire

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Specializes in Pulmonology/Critical Care, Internal Med.

I'm with you Fronky, I'm hope and praying I get into a MSN program right after I get done here at AU. I'm looking at UAB's ACNP/RNFA program that they have. I know I can do more than what we are limited too via being RN's. Drives me nuts to know I can do it as well but can't.

I can't stand the idea of having to do all that work and not get paid for it. Thats exactally why I got OUT of business, I couldn't STAND the greed of management. EAMC for me is the epitome of evil management. These nurses who say that money isn't everything have given up in the fight. I don't want a nurse who thinks that 25/hr is good enough for him/her after 10 yrs of working. Thats what GN should be making. If you value your services so low then you probably aren't giving out very good services. :banghead:

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.

Try $25 and change after 13 years! I work 36 plus hours a week and struggle to pay my bills (modest house, used car and some credit card bills.) It's a shame when you work like you're supposed to and can't even afford a vacation. And don't even get me started on their sick time pay policy. I am worth more than that. Not only am I a resource of info to new grads on my floor but to nurses on other floors. If they had to pay an educator to be there at night they would be putting out more than 25/hr. Yet I do it every night I work for free! Guess what my reward is? I got written up for clocking errors! Geez, that's gratitude for ya!:uhoh3:

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